Our Change Story

We are also developing support for individuals affected by alcohol or drug use who are involved with justice services, providing peer-led recovery focused activities to those in prison and increasing understanding of the support needs of people once they leave custody and return to the local community. We are also developing our partnership working and peer-based support with the police.

It’s also critical that people receive the kind of longer-term treatment and recovery support which is pivotal in making recovery a reality.

We continue to support the development of the local recovery community including a range of peer-led recovery groups and activities across South Ayrshire, and provide volunteering, training, education and work experience opportunities for people in recovery and family members.

We are also working with partners across acute, mental health, housing, justice and third sector services to help people get enhanced support when they need it, including more for mental health issues and providing intensive support for people at times of transition.

We know too of the importance of increasing local understanding of the impacts of trauma, so that people receive trauma-informed support at each stage of their recovery journey. We have developed our Trauma Pledge and are supporting organisations to become trauma informed services.

We have developed new arrangements to give people in South Ayrshire better access to long term residential rehabilitation, providing intensive preparatory and aftercare support, including peer support, family support and links to community based supports in South Ayrshire.

We are committed to embedding a whole family approach and family inclusive practice where children, families and carers receive support in their own right, and have the opportunity to be involved with a loved ones recovery. We are working collaboratively to drive this work forward.

Of course, an important aspect of reducing drug and alcohol-related harms is working to prevent issues from arising in the first place. We embrace the principles of prevention and early intervention in our activities, including drug and alcohol education for young people in South Ayrshire’s schools.

We recognise the need to improve support available for young peope in a way which meets their needs, and we are working together with partners to further develop support for young people affected by their own or someone else’s alcohol or drug use.

All of this work naturally involves us working in close collaboration with people and organisations across all of South Ayrshire. We work across health, education, social services, emergency services and with the strong peer recovery communities in South Ayrshire. All our work is grounded in the shared motivation to work together to ensure those who access our services get the support they need and see the changes they want in their lives.

We are changing how we commission our services to ensure we take a collaborative approach and services are in line with our priorities and are as effective and responsive to local needs as possible.

Ultimately we believe these changes will result in a reduction in the harm caused by alcohol and drugs, and a reduction in the number of people who are dying as a direct result of alcohol or drug use.

Our partnership is strong and driven by innovation, relationships and listening to each other.

We are committed to ensuring the views of people with living and lived experience, including families and carers, are embedded in our work. We will continue to build on and develop our mechanisms to ensure everyone’s voices are heard.

Our partnership is a key place for people can come together, in a spirit of collaboration, to improve local services and bring about positive change in the lives of people in South Ayrshire.

Frontline staff, peer workers, service leaders, the recovery community and those in most need of intensive support: everyone has a part to play in making recovery a reality in every community in South Ayrshire.

That is our Change Story